Frank Lewis Brown

Franklin (Frank) L Brown, age 88, died on August 13, 2019. Frank was born in Springfield, Missouri and graduated from Greenwood High School in 1949. Frank lettered in three sports (starting Quarterback for 3 years) and in his senior year was elected President of the Student Body and Captain of the football team.

He began his undergraduate work at Southwest Missouri State in September of 1949. He was inducted into Kappa Mu Epsilon, an honorary mathematics fraternity while there. With the outbreak of the Korean War, he enlisted in the US Air Force and served as a radar technician for 45 months. For 33 months he was stationed at a radar site off the coast of Korea. The last 20 months there he was the Non Commissioned Officer in Charge of Radar Maintenance Section.

Upon being discharged he was employed by the RCA Service Company as a Radar Field Technical Representative for two years in northern Minnesota. Subsequently he worked for the US Air Force installing ground based radars and air navigational equipment.

He then worked for the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) as a senior instructor in the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City. During this period he met and married his ideal wife of 62 years, Loreta.

In July 1963, he accepted employment with the US Army NIKE Zeus Project in Huntsville. He graduated from UAH with a double major in Physics and Mathematics. For the next 23 years he was engaged in radar research and development projects for the Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) programs. During this period Frank was the Project Engineer for 2 major BMD radars. The last eight years of his government employment he served as the Program Manager for the joint Army/Air Force “Cobra Eye Program” infrared sensor data gathering effort. Subsequently he was employed by SAIC and Nichols Research as a Senior Scientist.

Frank was active in Huntsville community sports programs. He coached football, basketball, and baseball teams continuously for 13 years through the YMCA Program. He also served as a Cub Scout Pack Leader for three years.

He was a member of the First Christian Church of Huntsville for over 25 years where in the later years he served as an Elder. Subsequently, he and Loreta transferred their membership to the Madison Christian Church – there he held a number of Committee Chair positions and served as Financial Secretary for over two years. Later they attended Christ Cumberland Presbyterian Church.

He is survived by his wife, Loreta; sons, Kurtis (wife Kim), Scott (wife Kim), Eric; granddaughters, Katheryn and Kristina; a brother, Robert Brown of Missouri and a sister, Beverly Nelson of Indiana.

Visitation will be held Saturday, August 17, 2019 from 10:30 AM to Noon with a Memorial Service immediately following at Valhalla Chapel, 698 Winchester Road NE, Huntsville AL, 35811. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the amazing Hospice Family Care.